ATLANTA — Fulton County Schools superintendent has decided to uphold a Tri-Cities High School athletic director's suspension after he had an altercation with a student during an on-campus gun search.
Superintendent Mike Looney affirmed the 20-day suspension on April 1. The suspension stems from an incident on August 20, 2021.
Coach Kenneth Miller said he was with police as they confronted a student, unaware that she had a firearm. Miller maintains that as authorities were speaking with her, she became aggressive and hit him with a stapler. The school district employee restrained her and officers stepped in.
Miller was fired following the incident, and the district reversed its decision after some pushback, deciding to suspend the coach instead.
However, Miller took legal action and was cleared by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission last month. The professional organization investigates educator and ethics complaints.
Miller and his attorney continued with the district's appeals process and his request was ultimately denied.
"This reasoning makes no sense and is dangerous to teachers," Attorney Allen Lightcap said in a statement, calling the school district's process one-sided and "legally insufficient."
District leaders released a statement saying the superintendent was following guidance from the hearing officer involved in the case.
“An independent hearing officer determined that Mr. Miller's actions constituted, among other things, insubordination, willful neglect of duties, and unprofessional conduct and that a 20-day suspension was appropriate and warranted. The Superintendent has upheld the findings of the hearing officer," the district's statement reads.